1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication method and apparatus capable of recording an image in color and monochrome, and a memory medium to be used in the image communication method and apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
A conventional facsimile apparatus can be loaded, on an image recording means, with only one of a color ink (or toner) cartridge and a monochromatic ink (or toner) cartridge, and it has not been possible to interchange one of the color ink (or toner) cartridge and the monochromatic ink (or toner) cartridge with the other.
Also a communication rate has been informed to a destination of the image communication, regardless of the kind of the ink (or toner) cartridge.
However, in case of contemplating a facsimile apparatus with an interchangeable ink (or toner) cartridge, a recording speed varies according to the kind of the cartridge since the characteristics of the cartridge (such as the discharge amount of ink or toner) are different between the color ink (or toner) cartridge and the monochromatic ink (or toner) cartridge.
Consequently, in case of image reception and recording in parallel in such facsimile apparatus with an interchangeable ink cartridge, a time for reception processing has to be made longer in case the color ink cartridge is loaded on the recording means, in comparison with the case of the monochromatic ink cartridge, since the color ink cartridge has a smaller number of ink discharging nozzles than in the monochromatic ink cartridge. (It is noted that when the color ink cartridge is loaded, the image received by facsimile transmission is recorded monochromatically with the monochromatic nozzles.)
On the other hand, in case the received image is stored in a memory instead of the parallel reception/recording a communication time can be made shorter by means of informing a higher communication rate to the destination because the discharge of ink (or toner) is irrelevant.